Bill Clinton on 'Right-Wing' Commentators

Bill Clinton says right-wing commentators are using demonizing tactics. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo.

Speaking before the converted in Chicago, Mr. Clinton told Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH group that the left should not stoop to the tactics of right-wing commentators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JUNE 24)

BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let us never demonize or give up on those who disagree with us. We don't want to become like the right-wing talk show hosts, turning our adversaries into cartoon characters that deny their humanity. A lot of us in this room are Baptists. And we believe in death bed conversions. We're not about to give up on anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Oh, that's comforting! Two quick points. Clinton is right. Some conservative commentators do demonize liberals, no question. But is indignation as selective because left-wing fanatics are just as bad or worse?

The truth is that any rabid partisan will spin the truth and bash those with whom they disagree. Mr. Clinton hired a man named Sidney Blumenthal, who used all kinds of dubious tactics to denigrate people. Blumenthal even had a White House office that was paid by the taxpayers to be a political hit man.

So for Mr. Clinton to talk about demonization is simply a joke. Nobody plays harder ball than the Clintons. The myth that the democratic message is being stifled by right-wing partisans is also laughable when you consider that the five largest daily city newspapers in America all have liberal editorial pages. And PBS and NPR certainly tell the progressive lie.

It is again worth mentioning that the Fox News channel, the number one target of besieged liberals, broke the story of President Bush's drunk driving convictions in Maine and has consistently given a voice to Democrats everywhere.

Mr. Clinton is right when he says that media bomb throwers attack people personally. But consider this. The Democratic party recently hired Al Franken to host its annual dinner. Mr. Franken, along with Michael Moore, is the most extreme, vicious, and unfair liberal partisan in the spotlight today. If Mr. Clinton wants to be taken seriously about people demonizing other people, he had better not attend that DNC dinner.

Once again, the spin stops here. Liberal ideologues are just as irresponsible and destructive as anyone on the right. Both groups should evaluate their tactics. And Mr. Clinton, with all due respect, should stop pandering to brainwashed audiences and tell the truth once in a while.

Any man who would hire the likes of Sidney Blumenthal (search) and any party that embraces Al Franken (search) has no moral authority to criticize anyone.

And that's The Memo.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...

Recently, I asked just how I could get the words Harry Potter into the title of my upcoming book, "Who's Looking Out for You." Well, our friends on billoreilly.com sent in a few suggestions, and here they are.